Suction tank head



United States Patent SUCTION TANK HEAD Francis D. Dolan, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to American- Lincoln Corporation, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application June 29, 1956, Serial No. 594,946 2 Claims. (Cl. 230-417) This invention relates to tanks into which water is drawn by suction action and particularly to one in which the motor and suction fan are mounted in the head; and the invention has to do particularly with the circulatory system for the motor cooling and fan exhaust air streams thereof.

The object of the invention is the provision of a novel head construction of the character described that provides a compactly arranged system of air circulating passages around the motor and fan members whereby fresh cooling air may be directed into and through the motor, and both such cooling air and the suction fan exhaust air discharged therefrom through a common passage whereby to enhance the practicability and commercial value of apparatus of this class.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, and from the accompanying drawings illustrating one embodiment thereof, and in which Fig. l is a central vertical section of the upper portion of a suction tank together with its head, in which latter the invention resides, and which has parts broken away, and

Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a tank into which water or other liquid may be drawn by suction and which is used, for instance, in connection with machines for removing cleaning water from the floors of buildings. The open top of the tank is closed by a cover or head member 2 carrying a motor 3 and suction fan 4 centrally thereof and having a novel arrangement of passages for the admission and discharge of cooling air for the motor and the discharge of exhaust air from the fan.

The cover 2 comprises, in the present instance, a flat bottom member 5 preferably of sheet metal having at its outer edge an annular downwardly projecting flange 6 fitting closely around the top marginal edge of the tank 1, and having its central portion depressed, as shown at 7, to form a centering seat for the bottom of the fan and motor housing 8. A suitable padding 9 is disposed between the housing and bottom depression 7. The bottom of the fan chamber has an air inlet opening 10 in communication with the interior of the tank 1 through a registering opening 11 in the central portion of the depression 7, which latter opening is preferably larger than the casing opening 10. A gasket 12 at the inner side of the cover flange seats on the top edge of the tank.

A second cover member 15 has a central opening receiving the motor casing 8 with its marginal edge wall seating on a shoulder of the casing through an interposed packing 16. The cover members 5 and 15 are vertically spaced in parallel or substantially parallel relation to provide an air passage 17 therebetween in surrounding relation to the fan enclosing portion of the housing 8. The outer edge portion of the member 15 is turned down to provide an annular flange 18 that extends below the plane of the member 5 in outwardly spaced relation to 2,884,185 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 its outer edge and provides an annular exit from the passage 17 to the outside of the head 2 and tank -1.

The motor chamber portion of the housing 8 is provided with an annular series of outlet openings 20 for the motor cooling air and these open into an annular passage 21 that communicates with the exit passage 17 through a plurality of ports or openings 22 in the cover member 15. The passage 21 is formed above the member 15 by a dome-shaped partition member 23 that fits around the housing 8 above the openings 20 and extends outwardly and downwardly therefrom to the member 15 to which it is attached at the outer side of the openings 22.

The top of the head 2 is [formed by a dome-shaped member 25 that encloses the partition member 23 and top portion of the motor housing 8 to provide an annular air passage 26 to the upper open end of said housing. The lower annular edge of the member 25 is secured to the top of the cover member 15 in spaced relation thereto by spacing studs 27 so that an annular inlet 28 to the air passage 26 is provided between the two members.

The air passage forming walls of the members 5, 15, 23 and 25 are preferably lined with a suitable heat insulating and sound absorbing material 30 such as, for in stance, fibenglas packing.

In the operation of the machine, air is exhausted from the tank through the openings 10 and 11 into the fan chamber and is discharged therefrom by the fan into the exit passage 17 through an annular series of openings 31 in the chamber wall. The cooling air for the motor enters the passage 26 through the inlet 28 around the base of the top member 25, thence passes through said passage 26 to the interior of the motor housing through its top and has its exit to the exhaust passage 17 through the housing openings 20, passage 21 and ports 22. It is thus apparent that the exhaust air from the fan and the cooling air from the motor have a common discharge to the outside atmosphere through the passage 17.

When the liquid content of the tank 1 reaches a predetermined height, it raises a float 35 against a gasket 36 surrounding the opening 11 and closes the communication between the interior of the tank and the fan chamber, thus stopping the suction in the tank while the motor continues running. The float 35 is retained within and guided by a gauge 37 that is suspended from the cover member 5 around its depressed part 7.

I wish it understood that my invention is not limited to any specific construction, arrangement or form of the parts, as it is capable of numerous modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the claims.

I claim:

I. In a suction tank head, a centrally disposed housing forming motor and suction fan chambers, the former having top entrance and side discharge openings for motor cooling air and the latter having bottom entrance and side discharge openings for fan actuated air, a bottom member supporting said housing and adapted to fit over the open upper end of a suction tank and having a restricted central opening therein in relation thereto and in communication with the bottom entrance opening to said fan chamber, a second member closely surrounding said housing and extending outward from the housing over said first member and having a dependent flange at its outer edge that laps the outer edge of said first member in spaced relation thereto, said two members forming a passage therebetween that surrounds said housing and receives the discharge air from the fan chamber side opening and discharges it between the outer edge portions of said members, a third member surrounding the housing above said second member and cooperating with it to form a passage leading from said motor chamber side opening to said first passage, and a dome-like member over said'housing and second and third members and forming a space formoto'r cooling air that is open to said top housing opening at its top portion and exteriorly of the head at its lower edge portion;

2. In a suction tank head, a centrally disposed housing forming motor and suction fan chambers, a bottom member supporting said housing and adapted to fit over the open upper end of a suction tank, said bottom member having an opening in the center thereof restricted in relation to an opening in the bottom of the housing mounted thereon, a first member surrounding said housing and overlying said bottom member and forming an air passage therebetween, a smaller second supporting member surrounding said housing and supported on the first member and spaced therefrom to form an air passage, a dome shaped member supported on the first supporting member and spaced therefrom forming an air passage between said dome and said first and second supporting members, said housing" being open at its top and having side openings in the motor chamber communicating with the air passage formed between said first and second supporting members, side openings in the suction fan chamber communicating with the air passage between the first member and the bottom member, openings through the first supporting member connecting the air passages from the motor chamber to the discharge air passage'of the fan chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 2,711,682 Drechsel June 28, 1955 2,726,807 Lewis Dec. 13, 1955 2,731,194 Kent Jan. 17, 1956 2,767,904 Doyle Oct. 23, 1956 

